Latitudinal distributions of the species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and functional diversity of fleas and their small mammalian hosts in four geographic quadrants

KRASBOV, B. R.; GRABOVSKY, V. I.; KHOKHLOVA, I. S.; LOPEZ BERRIZBEITIA, M. F.; MATTHEE, S.; ROLL, U.; SANCHEZ, JULIANA P.; SHENBROT, G.; VAN DER MESCHT, L.

ECOGRAPHY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2023

0906-7590

AbstractAim: We studied latitudinal patterns inspecies richness (SR), phylogenetic (PD) and functional (FD) diversity of fleasand their mammalian hosts. We asked whether these patterns in either fleas orhosts or both (a) conform to classical latitudinal gradient; (b) varygeographically; and (c) differ between fleas and hosts. We also asked whetherthe patterns of PD and FD follow those of SR.Location: WorldwideTaxon: Fleas and small mammalsMethods: Data on latitudinaldistribution of 1022 flea and 900 mammal species were collected from literaturesources. We calculated SR, PD and FD of each group in latitudinal bands of 1° and applied the broken-stick regression models separately for (a) eachdiversity facet; (b) fleas and hosts; and (c) geographic quadrants.Results: We did not find classicallatitudinal gradient pattern in either facet of diversity, either geographicquadrant and either fleas or hosts except in PD of fleas in the south-easternquadrant and FD of hosts in the south-western quadrant. Latitudinal patterns ofSR, PD and FD of fleas and hosts differed substantially between geographicquadrants. Latitudinal distributions of flea and host SR were similar in threeof four (except the north-eastern quadrants), whereas latitudinal distributionsof flea and host PD were similar in the south-western quadrant only. Nosimilarity in flea versus host FD was revealed. Latitudinal patterns of PD and FDof fleas and hosts mostly did not follow those of their SR.  Main conclusions: Latitudinal gradientsof species richness, phylogenetic and functional diversity appeared to be notuniversal phenomena. Instead, latitudinal distributions of these diversityfacets represent an interplay of ecological (current and past) and historicalprocesses. For parasites, the processes acting on their hosts add anotherdimension making the latitudinal patterns of their diversity complicated.